Lots of changes...

It could've been worse. I could still be stuck living with my ex-GF until the lease was up! Without a separate room w/ bed for each of us, that was a doomed situation no matter how much we tried to be diplomatic... I could've been a total asshole in hopes that she'd get sick enough of me to move out herself, but she wound up wanting me out of there (and off the lease) without me having to do anything out of character! We're both better off this way...

Dating and relationships...

Just some random thoughts, based on viewing a great deal of profiles on a 'free online dating site' which will remain nameless...

If your last failed relationship still affects you enough that you mention it in your "write about yourself" section or influences you to choose a username like "xBrokenHeartedx," you probably shouldn't be dating, online or elsewhere!

Everybody, male or female, describes themselves as "unique" or "random" - which reminds me of this XKCD comic, and Steve Martin's Nonconformist Oath. "I promise to be different! I promise to be unique!"

Many women on this site seem to be of the opinion that the best pictures for them to use are ones in which they're flaunting cleavage. I don't have a MySpace or Facebook account, so I don't know if this is common on those sites, too. As a straight male, I can't help but notice this phenomenon, and while I do look at those pictures, it doesn't make me more likely to try to contact the people who posted them. It reminds me of the female bartenders and servers who purposely dress to enhance that aspect of their bodies, presumably to earn more tips. I feel a little guilty for looking, but never guilty enough to leave a much larger tip simply based on their amount of exposed cleavage!

Starting over.

It's a new year, and I'm single. The split was mutual, after having spent a couple years just going through the motions. We've got quite a few months to divvy up our stuff and go our separate ways, since we're stuck in a lease. I'm not going to say that I wasted the past however many years in that relationship, since I learned some important things about myself and what I really want from a relationship and from life. That probably sounds bitter, but I'm not. It's just difficult to pick up on nuances when you're just reading text on a screen.

I thought that when I got older I would eventually understand how to handle social situations properly. It never really happened. Being in a long-term relationship didn't change much, either. I don't feel any more prepared to jump into any situation involving other people than I did before! The only difference is now if anyone would ask, I have "I was dating this girl for years" as an excuse for being a recluse.

"Hard work pays off later, procrastination pays off now."

Went through a trunk full of old papers and school stuff that my parents had. I was surprised that they'd kept half this stuff - it included old workbooks from reading classes and those books you first learn to print letters in! Naturally, 99% of this stuff went into the nearest paper recycling bin. It felt weird going through it now - I just assumed that I'd do that later in life.

Yeah, I'm a pack rat, and I hold onto many things simply because I might have a use for them someday. But looking at these old school papers didn't bring back any memories, good or bad. Some of the teachers' names looked vaguely familiar, but that's about it - and when the names include "Smith" and "Jones," how can you be sure anyway? I couldn't bring up any faces to go with the names. I might have been looking through a stranger's stuff... except a stranger's stuff would've been marginally more interesting. In books and movies, characters usually learn something from digging through the remnants of their past, or else uncover some secret. In real life, not so much.

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. - G. Marx

End of July already? Damn... it seems like just yesterday was June, and I'm not just saying that because I haven't posted on here since then. Yeah, I started numerous posts but never got around to finishing them, so those don't count.

I had a nice rant all worked up about how Cartoon Network/Boomerang butchered another one of my favorite Tex Avery shorts, but I kept getting an error message when I tried to post my copy of the unedited version of "Magical Maestro" so I gave up. Besides, that really wasn't too different from what I had to say about the censored jokes from "The Car Of Tomorrow" so anyone reading this isn't missing out on much. I could bitch about how Boomerang keeps repeating the same programming even though CN/Time Warner owns a ridiculous amount of classic material, but honestly, that's no different from any other TV channel... I could substitute the words "Mtv" and "Viacom" in there and it would be equally true.

So, here's what I'd do if I was in charge of programming at Boomerang.

First, I'd bring back some of the shows/blocks of programming that were on when I first got the channel, like "Late Night Black & White" and more of the non-Tom & Jerry MGM shorts. I'd create some programs based more on director, like an hour of Tex Avery shorts, an hour of Chuck Jones shorts, and so on. I like the idea of putting similar shows in the same block, like what they've already done with "Those Meddling Kids" (Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, Jabberjaw, Speed Buggy, and the Chan Clan, among others)

Obviously, I'd want to show the uncensored versions of all the old 'toons... even if it necessitated having some academic types reading a disclaimer first. These cartoons were originally shown in movie theaters between pictures and mainly aimed at adults, not little kids... people need to remember that before they have a conniption fit over "protecting the children" from violence or anything else. Yes, I was lucky enough to see most of these old cartoons in their original versions before the P.C. mob took over and decided what was and wasn't funny nowadays. I was a kid when I watched these, and they didn't turn me into a murderer or a racist, and with modern cartoons (also aimed at adults) pushing the envelope even further, the old ones seem fairly tame by comparison.

More later when I think of it...

back to the salt mines/car stuff

OK, not really, but I did come back from my vacation today and start work again. Did I get much accomplished that I intended to, or bother to post on here while I wasn't at work? Of course not.

Got rid of a few more books, sold a few CDs, but of course I picked up more.

Car trouble has mostly been keeping my mind off of music, anyway. Haven't gotten the full prognosis yet (or the bill, for that matter) but there always seems to be something... was going to have to take the car in to fix the check engine light anyway before I have to go through the stupid yearly emissions shit this state makes you do. Hopefully it was just a malfunctioning sensor and nothing major, since it seemed to run fine and the light only came on intermittently. Brakes needed repaired, too...

I like cars, but hate the fact that I don't know how to work on them myself. I can change my own oil, change a flat tire, use jumper cables - and while that's more than some people can manage, I'm still deeply envious of everyone with enough mechanical aptitude to not need to have a mechanic do everything else. A friend of mine used to work at one of the national parts store chains, and always tells me I should try to do as much work myself as I possibly can. But part of the problem is lack of time, and lack of a good workspace. No garage means no place out of the weather to even try to work on anything. Also, everything that sounds simple and straightforward when I read the steps in the Haynes manual tends to become a huge disaster in actual practice. Parts don't fit right, or it doesn't fix the problem, and then I'm stuck bringing it into the shop anyway! Maybe if I could afford a simple, older car to practice on - find an old beater and try to teach myself how to fix it when things go wrong - and if I didn't get it fixed right away I'd still have my daily driver so I wouldn't be stuck with no transportation?

dusting off some old stuff

Let's see, more music. Bought some cassettes recently. I'm willing to risk 30 cents per at the thrift store when I see tapes that might be interesting.

The KLF - The White Room

All I'd ever heard from these guys was "Doctorin' The TARDIS" so I was expecting something completely different from this release than what it wound up being. Not horrible, but not anything I think I'll want to re-listen to. I am a pale fat guy with no rhythm so while I can appreciate a catchy song with a good beat, I'm not gonna dance to it (and wouldn't be able to to save my life, though I might attempt to if I were really drunk)... Thinking of that older song does make me want to try to find the very first season of Doctor Who so J. and I can watch the series from the beginning.

L.L. Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

I'd heard the title track before and dug it so of course I wasn't gonna pass up a chance to hear the rest of the album. Some good tracks like "Boomin' System" but the more R&B style stuff really doesn't do anything for me.

Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

I loved that "Scooby Snacks" single so why I didn't buy this when it came out is a mystery. Oh wait, I was too busy getting into Coil and Neubauten and pretty much everything else Jim Thirlwell ever had anything to do with. There's not a bad song on this tape. It would've been great to see these guys (FLC) play a show with the Beastie Boys, especially if there was any chance of a freestyle battle!

More on a future date, really.